PF Strategy on very tight tables?

[DavidC]

Inspired by Clayton's PF post, but my game conditions tend to be a little bit different, so I made this post separate.

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I play often during the day, when table VPIP is about 24% and the average pots are like 5 BB. When I play 8 tables, I can't really do a whole lot about this: table selection is very difficult to stay on top of. I do my best to keep my tables closer to 32% if I can get it there, but it's not easy.

I've recently become more aggressive with 99 (open raising in middle position and raising in late position in multiway pots), and KQo (raising from all positions), at the behest of a few respected posters.

This has produced something like 17/10 stats, though there's some multiway pots where I'm playing stuff like 86s on the button, and some weird hands where I'm playing in the SB, etc.

Anyways, here's my standards in a pot where no one has already entered, or where one loose limper has entered, because this is the situation that I most often face.

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EDIT: FORGOT ABOUT SUITED ACES, SORRY GUYS!!!

EP:
Raise: AA-TT, AK-AJ, ATs, KQs
Call: 99-77, KQo, KJs, QJs

Mp (I play EMP quite a bit differently than LMP):
Raise: AA-88, KQ-KJ, KTs, QJs, AK-AT, A9s
Call: 77-66, JTs, A8s-A6s

LP:
Raise: AA-55, KQ-KT, QJ, QTs, JTs, AK-A8, A7s-A5s
No calling hands.

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A few of my problems:

Dealing with an OPFR from an aggressive button when I'm in the SB with a playable hand (KTo), but the BB is loose. I don't think I have quite enough to re-raise in this spot, but I also would like to play HU if possible. I will often find myself folding and watching the loose BB donk it out with the button. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

If there's a loose-raiser to my right, and we're in early or early middle position, and the rest of the table is slightly loose, how the hell do I deal with this guy? I can't really isolate him, and I'm risking running into a monster, and when I've got a hand like KJo I'd LOVE to play with him HU if I could.

--Dave.

[benkath1]

[ QUOTE ]
LP:
Raise: AA-55, KQ-KT, QJ, QTs, JTs
No calling hands.


[/ QUOTE ]

None? You don't play and suited connectors below JT? Or is this just at the tight tables?

[Emmitt2222]

[ QUOTE ]

EP:
Raise: AA-TT, AK-AJ, ATs, KQs
Call: 99-77, KQo, KJs, QJs

Mp (I play EMP quite a bit differently than LMP):
Raise: AA-88, KQ-KJ, KTs, QJs
Call: 77-66, JTs,

LP:
Raise: AA-55, KQ-KT, QJ, QTs, JTs
No calling hands.


[/ QUOTE ]

In a tight game, it is better to be raising lighter because you will steal the blinds more or get HU with a weaker coldcaller which is favorable to you. In a pretty tight game like 24% you should be raising all of those hands that you are calling with and up in early and middle positions and that is what I raise with, except for QJs in EP which I just call with. I am limping a little bit more than you are in EP even at a tighter table depending on the situations though, such as some higher suited aces, smaller pp and KTs. You should never be open limping in MP, this is viewed as pretty fishy play as you move up. You should be raising a lot more from LP such as any pp, any suited ace, any ace on the button, suited connectors down to 87s for me.

In an unopened pot you have to be much more aggresive in a tight game than your chart suggests. Your chart would give someone like a 10% vpip which isnt good. You are most likely going to be limping less, but raising a lot more to steal from those weak/tighties. Also remember that this is also situational and depends on who are the blinds and who is behind you.

[DavidC]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
LP:
Raise: AA-55, KQ-KT, QJ, QTs, JTs
No calling hands.


[/ QUOTE ]

None? You don't play and suited connectors below JT? Or is this just at the tight tables?

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, against super-tight blinds, I'll open raise with SCs down to 87s and all pairs, but they'd have to be really tight.

Against tightish blinds, I'd open raise with T9s, but against normal blinds, I draw the line at JTs.

I haven't read the SC/PP post, though, so I'll have to review that before I say that this is correct play... just reporting what I do at this point.

--Dave.

[kapw7]

[ QUOTE ]


I play often during the day, when table VPIP is about 24% and the average pots are like 5 BB.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just wondering. Can these tables be profitable? I assume microlimits so the rake (especially in Party where they take 10% of a $5 pot) eats-up a lot of your profit.

[DavidC]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

EP:
Raise: AA-TT, AK-AJ, ATs, KQs
Call: 99-77, KQo, KJs, QJs

Mp (I play EMP quite a bit differently than LMP):
Raise: AA-88, KQ-KJ, KTs, QJs
Call: 77-66, JTs,

LP:
Raise: AA-55, KQ-KT, QJ, QTs, JTs
No calling hands.


[/ QUOTE ]

In a tight game, it is better to be raising lighter because you will steal the blinds more or get HU with a weaker coldcaller which is favorable to you. In a pretty tight game like 24% you should be raising all of those hands that you are calling with and up in early and middle positions and that is what I raise with, except for QJs in EP which I just call with. I am limping a little bit more than you are in EP even at a tighter table depending on the situations though, such as some higher suited aces, smaller pp and KTs. You should never be open limping in MP, this is viewed as pretty fishy play as you move up. You should be raising a lot more from LP such as any pp, any suited ace, any ace on the button, suited connectors down to 87s for me.

In an unopened pot you have to be much more aggresive in a tight game than your chart suggests. Your chart would give someone like a 10% vpip which isnt good. You are most likely going to be limping less, but raising a lot more to steal from those weak/tighties. Also remember that this is also situational and depends on who are the blinds and who is behind you.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey man, sorry about that. I just edited my post to include suited aces. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

I will limp more often vs multiple limpers.

How do you deal with a game where it's like 60% rocks and 40% loose players (one of which is the SB, for example)? That seems to me to be the worst of both worlds.

[DavidC]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]


I play often during the day, when table VPIP is about 24% and the average pots are like 5 BB.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just wondering. Can these tables be profitable? I assume microlimits so the rake (especially in Party where they take 10% of a $5 pot) eats-up a lot of your profit.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sure does. I'm negative after 8k hands, and 4/5 of it is rake. However, I've played under these conditions favourably in the past... I should be able to handle it...

[Aaron W.]

[ QUOTE ]
Dealing with an OPFR from an aggressive button when I'm in the SB with a playable hand (KTo), but the BB is loose. I don't think I have quite enough to re-raise in this spot, but I also would like to play HU if possible. I will often find myself folding and watching the loose BB donk it out with the button. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

3-bet. If BB is so loose he's calling with absolute junk, then he's just padding the pot for you. KTo is a good hand to have when butting heads with an aggressive button. (I'm assuming here that he's raising all aces, some kings, all pairs, broadway cards, suited connectors... basically anything he would be playing from the button with a couple limpers in the pot, plus a few more.)

[ QUOTE ]
If there's a loose-raiser to my right, and we're in early or early middle position, and the rest of the table is slightly loose, how the hell do I deal with this guy? I can't really isolate him, and I'm risking running into a monster, and when I've got a hand like KJo I'd LOVE to play with him HU if I could.

[/ QUOTE ]

3-bet. If he's a loose-raiser regardless of position (notice this additional thought), then you've got to put money at risk to win money from him. It's not going to be likely that you'll have two or three cold-callers when it's three bets up front.

Be sure to watch how he plays postflop. Is he unrelenting with his weaker hands? Then play for a showdown with quality starting hands. Does he back off when he's weak (and even fold?), then play more aggressively postflop with your weaker hands.

[Aaron W.]

[ QUOTE ]
How do you deal with a game where it's like 60% rocks and 40% loose players (one of which is the SB, for example)? That seems to me to be the worst of both worlds.

[/ QUOTE ]

Shift gears often, depending on who is in the pot. You've also got to extend your thoughts beyond "loose" and "tight" preflop and include postflop attributes in your considerations.

[DavidC]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
How do you deal with a game where it's like 60% rocks and 40% loose players (one of which is the SB, for example)? That seems to me to be the worst of both worlds.

[/ QUOTE ]

Shift gears often, depending on who is in the pot. You've also got to extend your thoughts beyond "loose" and "tight" preflop and include postflop attributes in your considerations.

[/ QUOTE ]

Good advice! Thanks.